By JKNewsMedia
NIGERIA’s FEDERAL and state governments have been called upon at all levels by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) to adopt and enforce comprehensive food policies that safeguard Nigerians from the growing threat of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and unhealthy beverages.
The organisation issued the call as the world marked World Food Day 2025 on 16 October.
In its statement commemorating the day signed by Rober Egeb for CAPPA, it cautioned that more Nigerians, particularly children, adolescents, and young adults, are being aggressively targeted with unhealthy diets that are nutrient-poor, heavily processed, and deceptively marketed as healthy or convenient options.
“The result is a worrying nutrition transition away from traditional, wholesome diets toward unhealthy dietary patterns that fuel the country’s rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney failure,” the organisation stated.
Observed annually on 16 October, World Food Day marks the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945.
The 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” highlights the need for cooperation and evidence-based policies to ensure access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food for all.
CAPPA maintained that robust healthy food policies are vital to achieving this goal and to building a peaceful, sustainable, and food-secure future.
“Nigeria today confronts a stark and shameful reality: our country now ranks among the lowest globally in life expectancy, with average lifespans in the mid-50s,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA.
“This tragic statistic is a wake-up call that exposes systemic failures across our food, health, and social systems, and demands urgent policy and regulatory action.”
Oluwafemi expressed concern that corporations continue to expand their marketing networks through digital and social media platforms, school sponsorships, celebrity endorsements, and cultural events, strategies designed to make unhealthy products appear normal or aspirational.
“Children and youth are especially vulnerable to these tactics,” he warned.
Citing findings from CAPPA’s recent report titled “Junk On Our Plates: Exposing Deceptive Marketing of Unhealthy Foods Across Seven States in Nigeria,” the statement revealed how multinational and local food and beverage companies employ aggressive, misleading, and culturally tailored marketing to normalise the consumption of ultra-processed, high-sugar, and high-sodium products nationwide.
According to the report, these companies use deceptive practices that compromise consumers’ right to accurate information for healthy food choices. Such tactics include misleading nutrition claims, manipulative labelling, and promotions tied to social events, religious gatherings, and school activities.
The report added that these practices are particularly concentrated in low-income communities where nutritious food options are limited, thereby worsening existing inequalities.
“These strategies not only promote unhealthy products but also erode Nigeria’s traditional food culture,” Oluwafemi said.
“We cannot address our declining life expectancy or the growing epidemic of NCDs without confronting this toxic marketing environment head-on.”
To reverse this trend, CAPPA outlined several policy interventions.
These include adopting Front of Pack Labelling (FOPL), imposing effective taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), setting sodium reduction targets, and restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks, particularly to children.
The organisation also called for an increase in tobacco taxes and stricter controls on marketing smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine products.
CAPPA explained that global evidence supports FOPL as a tool that helps consumers make healthier choices and encourages manufacturers to reformulate products. “Mandatory FOPL should be adopted nationwide as a first step toward healthier purchasing decisions,” it stated.
It further advocated for an effective SSB tax, noting that such a measure reduces consumption, promotes healthier diets, and generates public revenue that can be reinvested in health and nutrition programmes.
“Excessive sodium in the food supply drives hypertension, heart disease, and premature death. Nigeria must adopt mandatory sodium reduction targets for processed and pre-packaged foods to reduce salt intake and save lives,” the statement added.
“Furthermore, children and other vulnerable groups must be protected from unhealthy diets; hence, we are calling for a comprehensive ban on marketing of ultra-processed foods to children, including in virtual reality platforms,” CAPPA stated.
The organisation linked improved life expectancy to sustained tobacco control, noting that regular increases in tobacco taxes remain the single most cost-effective strategy to reduce tobacco use and prevent premature deaths.
It also demanded restrictions on the marketing of smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, and other nicotine products on social media and youth-oriented platforms.
CAPPA emphasised that these evidence-based policies would not only enhance public health outcomes but also lower healthcare costs, improve national productivity, and advance equity in food access across Nigeria.
“As we mark World Food Day 2025, we must put people before profit,” Oluwafemi concluded. “By implementing healthy food policies and regulations, Nigeria can move decisively toward a future where every citizen, especially our children, can live longer, healthier, and more dignified lives.”
